Just a reminder to check the sheet next to the class for next weeks upcoming events as well as our toddler graduation party is this Friday. Hope to see you all there.

I have had so much fun working with your kids this year!  It has been a wonderful first year teaching for me and look forward to the future.

Ms. Hillary (CR 3 ~Toddler lead)

Today the classroom experienced some excitement. While I was cleaning the bird cage, one of the babies flew out of the cage! The babies are now the same size as their parents. This baby, whom we’ve dubbed Houdini, flew out of the cage faster than you can say ‘Harry Houdini’ He stayed within reach, but kept escaping just as I was close enough to catch him. (Or her, they still don’t have their markings yet.) Houdini then flew out of reach to the windows we have way up high. He stayed there for quite awhile. The room was all abuzz with worry for the bird. It was very hard to get the children to focus! Finally the bird took the plunge toward the other window and scared Jesse and Greta who were doing a map on the window. He is now safe and sound with his family back in the cage.
As a project while the bird was on the window sill, the older children wrote about the best way to get the bird down. Megan said Ms. Katie needed to get a ladder and get the birds down. Duncan said Ms. Katie would need a net to try and catch the bird. Grace wrote about how scared the bird must be since he is so far away from his family. She also thought Ms. Katie would have climb up to get the bird. All the plans had a seemed to have a common theme, Ms. Katie being the rescuer. I must need a cape!!

No, I will not be graduating and moving to first grade, I will however be celebrating 4 friends who will be.

Fondest memories of these 4? There are so many it was hard to choose.

Lily: When Lily first joined our classroom she would watch the teachers and the older children set the tables for lunch. One day she asked if she could help. I turned around after attending to another child to find that Lily had set the entire table complete with plate, napkin, fork (yes it was on the left), spoon and cup and was smiling from ear to ear.

Nevaeh: This year Nevaeh showed an interest in helping during nap time. This was a blessing in disguise for all involved. One young friend who had challenges falling asleep was no match for Nevaeh’s gentle touch and sweet smile. Nevaeh managed to help this child sleep each time she was with her. When I asked what her secret was, her shoulders went up and down and said, love.

Gavin: During Gavin’s second year, he came to school one morning holding his arm close to him. His Mom shared that he had fallen and his arm was hurting but he INSISTED that he had to come to school, he did not want to miss anything. By the end of the day his arm was sore. That afternoon Mom took Gavin to the doctor. His arm ended up having a fracture and the orange cast we saw when he came to school the next day was quite the sharing.

Elijah: Elijah has had many funny moments in class, but if I had to pick one.…Elijah’s family has run in various events throughout the years. Last year they did the Pat Tillman run. Elijah came to school moving a little slow. I was aware that he did the run but asked anyway why he was moving so slow. He said I ran miles and my legs are sore, if my legs fall off I will have to scoot around the room on my bottom. (Big laughs out loud)!

Congrats on all your hard work and we will miss your energy and hearts so very much.

Much thanks for the memories!

Hello Lower Elementary community,

We have had some great conferences with parents and nearly everyone wants to know the kinds of things to do with their child over the summer to keep our momentum going. The following is a list of ideas compiled from both teachers and parents. The point is to explore with your child while keeping it light and fun. Thanks everyone for your great suggestions!

Ms. Denise

2011 2012 summer ideas